Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League - Empowering Communities and Changing lives since 1983

  • GENERAL BODY MEETINGS
    2nd Thursday of each month
    Chicago Urban League
    4510 S. Michigan Ave.
    Chicago, IL 60653
    next meeting: 6:30pm
    Thursday, August 12th, 2010

  • MEMBERSHIP
    Join the movement. Complete a membership application today.

  • MAILING LIST
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Our Community Service Initiatives
Habitat for Humanity
The Metropolitan Board partnered with Habitat for Humanity - Chicago South Suburbs to help provide housing for families.
Black History Project
Participants in Black History Day at Good Shepherd Manor were treated to lessons in not only growing plants and flowers, but also nurturing the treasures left by our ancestors.
Tech Day
This program provides youth with a free workshop on different areas in technology. It has covered topics such as website design, careers in technology, and the inside components of a computer.
Project Love
Children learn about HIV, AIDS, and the children of Malawi during Project Love.

Service

Make a Difference

The Community Service Committee of the Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League consists of members who strive to plan, execute, and achieve the social and civic goals of the organization's efforts in giving back to the community.

Our monthly meetings are on the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Chicago Urban League Headquarters. We ask that non-Metropolitan Board members contact the committee prior to our meeting to attend.

 
Our Service Mission

The community service program focuses on five target areas: Civic Engagement, Civil Rights and Racial Justice, Economic Empowerment, Education and Youth, and Health and Quality of Life. Our annual service calendar consists of many unique programs such as Project Etiquette, MB Lab, and Second Chance for Success that have a specific focus within each area.

Profile

In the past 3 years, we performed over 7,000 hours of service, partnered with over a dozen social agencies in Chicago, and earned the National Young Professional Central Region Chapter of the Year Award three times.

Project Highlight

A Proven Commitment to Restoration
In 2005, Metropolitan Board volunteers helped the United Way transition hurricane evacuees to a life in Chicago. In November 2006, 22 members traveled to New Orleans to clear and gut homes. Members returned in May 2007 to help in the rebuilding process.

Project NOLA 2007: The Account of One MB Volunteer
By Sandria Washington
"Hurricane Katrina was real. It may sound foolish to say or even a little redundant considering we've all read the stories in the newspapers and watched the daily television coverage detailing the devastation of this natural disaster. Before traveling to New Orleans I knew that Hurricane Katrina was real, but it was different when I stood in the middle of the Lower Ninth Ward— surrounded by pieces of a family's life; dishes, TVs and CDs— on a plot of cement knowing a house once stood there. It was different being right there touching, seeing, smelling and walking through history."
Read the entire article

Service Project Swatch
MB Lab
Children of the Boys Leadership Institute learn how to generate voltage using vinegar, lemon juice, and other household items during MB Lab: Current.
Greater Chicago Food Depository
The Metropolitan Board helps feed Chicago by packing and sorting food at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Teen Summit
This one-day seminar is designed to assist high school teenagers in successfully navigating life's choices. Topics range from career ambitions, conflict resolution to financial management and dealing with the societal pressures teens face.
Health Fair
The Metropolitan Board and local health care professionals provide free health screenings and tips to the community.
Second Chance for Success
Second Chance for Success provides ex-offenders with employment leads in addition to expungement services, resume help, and interview attire.

Events

Events with a Purpose

The primary purpose of the Fundraising Committee is to generate financial support through social events and grants to support the Metropolitan Board and Chicago Urban League programs.

We are an auxiliary of a 501(c)(3) organization that graciously appreciates all sponsors. Some of our past sponsors include PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, U.S. Cellular, and Jewel-Osco.

Contact our fundraising committee about sponsorship opportunities.

 
Event Spotlight

Royale

The Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League invites you to attend MetroBoard Royale: Bet on the Movement. A first class night featuring awards, casino gaming, live jazz, modern beats and urban ritz. Saturday, June 6, 2009, 9PM-1AM at Graham Room at Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. More Deatils

Events and Fundraisers

Membership

Members

When you join the Metropolitan Board, not only do you become a member of the premier young professional's organization in Chicago, you will be in the company of more than 250 dedicated, hard working individuals who have answered the call of service. Our members range between 21-45 years in age, and are active in all career fields.

General Body meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at the Chicago Urban League Headquarters, 4510 S. Michigan Avenue. The Visitor Welcome starts at 6:00pm and the meeting begins at 6:30pm. Our next general body meeting takes place on Thursday, August 12th, 2010.

View our General Body meeting sponsors

 
Member Benefits

Every member receives a subscription to Urban Influence Magazine and an Empowerment Card. This card offers discounts for goods and services of various businesses and companies that have partnered with the Metropolitan Board. Empowerment card partners include: Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, Avis Rental Car, Enterprise Rental Car, and Black Enterprise Magazine to name a few. If you are interested in becoming an Empowerment Business, please contact membership@metroboard.org.

Join Us. Become a member

Membership is $50 per year, and includes membership to the Metropolitan Board ($25) and the Chicago Urban League ($25). If you would like to become a member, please download our membership application and bring it to a general body meeting or email it to membership@metroboard.org.

Professional and Personal Development (PPD's)

The Metropolitan Board's members are considered future leaders. To that end, it is one of our primary focuses to aid our members in preparation of this purpose. PPD's are some of the ways we prepare them. These information seminars and educational series are designed to enhance each member's personal and professional lives. In addition, members have the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills to the entire body. From life coaching to income tax informational to business etiquette practices, PPD's expose members to new experiences that will balance their lives as they prepare to take their place as leaders. If you are interested in hosting a PPD event or have an idea, please contact ppd@metroboard.org.

Member Events
New Members Orientation
During New Members Orientation, new members have the opportunity to meet with other new members as well as current ones. They also spend time learning how to plan projects, leaving orientation with a better understanding of the inner workings of the organization.
Member Outings
These events are purely for relaxation, networking and member retention. Past events include Chicago Bulls games, karaoke, and wine tastings.
National Urban League Conference
The National Urban League Annual Conference represents the largest gathering of African American professionals in the nation. Read more...

Press

Press and Media Inquiries

Send media inquiries to pr@metroboard.org.

Empowerment Newsletter

Get the inside scoop on what's going on with the Metropolitan Board. If you are interested in submitting an article for the next edition to the Empowerment Newsletter, please send your inquiry to editor@metroboard.org.

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the newsletters.)

2010 2009 2008 2007 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

About

Vision

The Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League is Chicago's young professional organization of choice for its distinctive capacity and commitment in providing activities that are characterized by excellence in community service, fundraising, and dedication to the nurturance and development of its diverse members to empower communities and change lives through consistent involvement in the Urban League movement.

Mission

The Metropolitan Board is a Chicago Urban League auxiliary of young professionals committed to promoting and supporting the ideas and goals of the Urban League movement throughout Chicago through community outreach, fundraising and membership development.

Objective

The primary objectives of this organization shall be to support the Chicago Urban League movement through:

  1. A major annual financial effort.
  2. Development of new and support of existing programs directed towards the Urban League's constituency with Urban League approval.
  3. Actively participating in the Chicago Urban League's membership drive, focusing on young professionals.
  4. Preparation of members for continued service in the National Urban League (NUL), Chicago Urban League (CUL) and other NUL affiliates and auxiliaries including, but not limited to, National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) and its advisory committees.
  5. Plan for and participate in community service activities.

Values

As an auxiliary group of the Chicago Urban League and a member of the National Urban League Young Professionals, we value:

  1. The National and Chicago Urban League movement - We believe that the Urban League movement is a crucial component in addressing inequalities existing in society. We are committed to supporting this movement through our allegiance, our community outreach, our fundraising and our growth and development within this movement.
  2. Cultivation of Membership - We believe that the success of this organization lies within our membership ranks. We promote the growth and development of our members and empower them with knowledge and resources to further themselves, our mission, and ultimately further our communities.
  3. Diverse Individuality - We promote an environment where people are valued on the basis of their efforts, ideas, and merits, without regard to gender, race, creed, ethnicity, education, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.
  4. Caretaking Our Communities - We promote active community living by identifying the diverse needs of various communities and addressing them through dedicated service, resourcefulness, and advocacy.
  5. Efficiency - We believe that time, people and funds are precious commodities that are not easily replaced. We promote efficient use of organizational resources to further the mission and goals of the Metropolitan Board.
  6. Knowledge Transparency - We openly share information, knowledge and best ideas and practices across the organization, realizing and accepting that we are dependent on each other for the Metropolitan Board's success.
  7. Change - We believe that change is an inevitable phenomenon. We also believe that complacency can be detrimental to progress. We promote change that will further develop the Metropolitan Board into the young professional organization of choice, which will ultimately further develop our communities into a more equitable environment.
Conspectus

The Metropolitan Board is an auxiliary of the Chicago Urban League and a chapter of the National Urban League Young Professionals. Founded in 1983, the motivation behind the Metropolitan Board was to identify young African-American professionals and developing them into the future leaders of our community. Since its inception, the Metropolitan Board has grown to become a diverse organization of future leaders from all walks of life and place a high value in this. The diversity of our award winning programs and events are a true testament to the diverse contributions of our most precious resource-our members.

Members collectively work toward fulfilling the Metropolitan Board vision by planning, implementing and executing activities that support our mission and objectives, which ultimately supports the National Urban League Movement of Economic Empowerment, Civic Engagement Leadership Empowerment and Health and Quality of Life Empowerment, Civil Rights and Racial Justice, and Educational and Youth Empowerment.

Past Presidents



Executive Board

Contact

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Correspondence

The Metropolitan Board
4510 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60653
(773) 451-3527

Executive Board
Copyright © 2009 Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League